How good should Your Vision be?
The
obvious answer is that the better your vision, the better you will be
able to appreciate all that there is to see under the surface. But there
is more to it than that. Snorkeling with a buddy is the safest and most
fun way to do it – shared experiences are always better. But underwater
communications depend on hand signals and gestures. Not being able to
see what your buddy is trying to tell you could mean that you miss out
on seeing something special. More seriously, you could miss a danger
signal and wind up in trouble. For example, if you both have agreed that
holding up 3 fingers means “Let’s go up” and you see only 2 fingers
that mean “Let’s go deeper”, then you could be in trouble. And you need
to be able to see your depth gauge clearly to know how deep you are and
your watch to know how long you have been in the water.
It
is a fact that the magnifying properties of water makes objects appear
to be larger and closer than they actually are. This could, at times,
make up for a mild vision problem. But a person with normal vision will
immediately feel the difference in perception and adjust for it. Persons
wearing spectacles may not be able to perceive the difference when not
wearing them underwater and this can lead to all kind of problems, like
banging into objects.
Millions of People wear Spectacles
Hundreds
of millions of people all over the world wear prescription glasses to
correct their vision. It does not affect their live and putting on the
glasses is as natural as combing their hair. So why not wear them while
snorkeling? The reason is simply because the earpieces of the spectacles
will not allow the mask skirt to seal properly and water will enter the
mask. Even if a mask can seal completely over the eye-glasses, the
pressure in the mask will cause them to grind into the snorkeler’s face.
And what do you do if the lenses mist up inside the mask? The bottom
line is you cannot swim wearing your spectacles.
Snorkeling
is as safe as any other outdoor sport but that does not mean you can
take it for granted. Remember that you are in an alien environment and
you have to be aware of your surroundings at all times. Whether you are
an experienced snorkeler or a rookie, going out in a charter boat, like
the ones vacationers can use on the big island of Hawaii, is the safest,
most convenient and comfortable way to enjoy the world below the
surface.
In
the next part of this blog we will talk about the options available for
people with weak eyesight to safely snorkel and derive the maximum fun
from it.
